The criteria to apply for a Blue Badge

Blue Badges help people with disabilities or health conditions park closer to their destination.

You can apply for a badge for yourself, on behalf of somebody else or an organisation that provides both care and transport for people that need a Blue Badge.

Who can get a Blue Badge?

To get a Blue Badge, the applicant must:

• be unable to walk
• experience very considerable difficulties when walking, which may include severe psychological distress
• are at risk of serious harm when walking
• are a risk of serious harm to others when walking

This does not include temporary conditions that are likely to get better in the 3 years the badge is issued for. The Blue Badge is issued to the person and not to a vehicle. This enables the Blue Badge holder to travel in any vehicle.

You can also read this easy read version outlining criteria for Blue Badge applicants.

Who automatically qualifies for a Blue Badge?

You automatically qualify if you:

• are registered as severely sight impaired
• receive the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) (the higher rate of Attendance Allowance and Personal Carer's Allowance do not form part of the automatic entitlement criteria)
• get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) mobility component with 8 points or more for the 'moving around' activity
• get PIP mobility component with 10 points specifically for 'cannot undertake any journey due to psychological distress'
• receive War Pensioners Mobility Supplement (WPMS)
• received an Armed Forces and Reserve Forces compensation lump sum (tariffs 1-8) for a permanent and substantial disability causing inability to walk or great difficulty
• are terminally ill with a prognosis of less than 6 months to live (requires supporting evidence from medical professional, like a letter or a DS1500 form)

Note: If your DLA or PIP award is for less than 3 years, the Blue Badge will only be issued for the same duration.

Who may qualify for a Blue Badge?

If you're not automatically eligible, you may still qualify if you have an enduring and substantial disability, and you:

• have a progressive disability such as (but not limited to) Motor Neurone Disease, Parkinson's, Multiple Sclerosis
• are unable to walk or have a physical disability that means you are unable to walk very far without experiencing severe discomfort and or breathlessness
• experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress; or
• are at risk of serious harm when walking; or pose, when walking a risk of serious harm to any other person
• drive a motor vehicle regularly, have a severe disability in both arms, and are unable to operate all or some types of parking meter

Apply for a Blue Badge

If you have read the criteria above, you can apply for a Blue Badge on GOV.UK.

If you apply under the incorrect criteria, your application will be refused and you'll need to submit a new application.

Find out what information the Blue Badge service collects and uses, and your rights regarding your information in the Blue Badge privacy notice.

Other criteria

Non-visible (hidden) disabilities

The non-visible (hidden) disability criteria is for individuals who:

• experience very considerable difficulty whilst walking, which may include very considerable psychological distress
• are at risk of serious harm when walking or pose a risk of serious harm to any person when walking.

A badge is not issued on the basis of a diagnosis of a particular condition alone, the badge will be awarded on the severity of the effect the medical condition is having on the applicant’s mobility. The application will need to be supported by evidence relating to the above criteria.

Children under 3

A parent of a child aged under 2 years and 9 months may apply for a badge on behalf of the child, if the child has a specific medical condition which means they:

• must always be accompanied by bulky medical equipment which can't be carried around easily, and/or
• need to be kept near a vehicle at all times, so that, if necessary, they can be treated in the vehicle, or quickly driven to a place where they can be treated

A parent of a child aged between 2 years 9 months and 3 years of age may apply for a badge on behalf of their child with additional eligibility options relevant to the age chosen on the application form.

Applying for a Blue Badge for an organisation

To qualify, the organisation (not an individual) must:

• care for and transport disabled people who would themselves meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for an individual Blue Badge and;
• have a clear need for an organisational badge rather than using the individual Blue Badges of people it is transporting

It's unlikely that taxi or private hire operators and community transport operators would be eligible for an organisational Blue Badge as they are not usually concerned with the care of disabled people who would meet one or more of the eligibility criteria for a badge. Such operators are, of course, still able to use an individual’s Blue Badge when carrying that person as a passenger.

The Department for Transport is responsible for giving guidance on who can get a Blue Badge. You can find more information about eligibility on GOV.UK.

Apply for a Blue Badge

If you have read the criteria above, you can apply for a Blue Badge on GOV.UK.

If you apply under the incorrect criteria, your application will be refused and you'll need to submit a new application.

We want your feedback

We recently refreshed our Blue Badge scheme information on the Suffolk County Council website. Let us know what you think of it.